I don't really have a lot to talk about lately.  Everything has been pretty normal, nothing exciting.  We are going home to see my mom this weekend and my cousin is going to let me use some of her maternity shirts.  I'm pretty excited about that, hopefully there will be some that fit so that I don't have to buy a lot. 

     After getting our taxes done last night I cried for like three hours.  Because of something I did wrong when I filled out my paperwork at Leopold, I apparently ow federal like $465 dollars.  I almost died.  Then when we left, Eric told me that we still have to pay our $375 property tax bill from Missouri.   

     Apparently, even if you only lived there for like 5 months (like we did) you still have to pay for a full year of property taxes.  That's a lot of money that frankly, we don't have.  I have $350 from savings to put toward it and the rest we'll just have to save.  We don't want to end up

having to create a payment plan...that would suck more money out of us in interest.

     I've decided after some thought today that I will not "borrow trouble" as my mom put it.  I will worry about to day and plan for tomorrow but not dwell on it.  We will have the money when April rolls around, God will provide for both Eric and I and our little Love bug.

    

Dear Lovebug,

Mommy is excited to meet you and will do everything she can to make sure you are well provided for.  

Love you.

Crib!

The sports writer at the Sentinel told me a while ago that he and his wife had a crib they would sell me, matress included for $125.  I was actually excited and it seemed like a good deal so Eric and I took advantage of it.  The crib is about 3 years old and was only slept in once because the baby ended up co-sleeping with them.  

I purposely haven't looked at cribs a lot because I didn't want to have an image stuck in my head and be disappointed.  However, he sent me a picture and I'm really excited about it.  I think it will be wonderful and it will match the furniture that Eric's cousin is giving us. ;)

The crib comes with the mattress, but obviously everything else in the picture is theirs and they are keeping it ;)

This is the picture that was sent to me but it was taken with a camera phone so the image doesn't convert as well.

I got on the internet and did a search for metal, white cribs and this one came up in several places for about what he told me was the original price.  It looks pretty much identical to me so I decided to post this picture so that there would be a better one for people to look at.  I think it's really pretty ;)

Baby Quiz!

About the mommy!

Name:  Cassie
Age: 24
First child? Yup!

About the daddy!

Name:  Eric
Age: 25
First child? Yup!

Finding out!!

What day did u find out? Tuesday, December 7, 2009
How did u feel when u found out? There was such a mixture of emotions that it's hard to describe...we've wanted a baby for so long!
Who was with u? I was by myself in the bathroom and Eric was in the living room.  
Who was the first peson u told? Eric and then my mom.
How did they react? My mom was so shocked that I hung up with her within like 2 minutes.  I thought she was mad or something!  Then, I think it hit her, and she called back yelling "I'm gonna be a grandma!"
How did the daddy react? Eric was in disbelief.  We had waited so long and taken so many tests that were negative, I don't think he understood at first

Telling the grandparents!

How did ur parents react? See the above :)
How did his parents react? He called and told his mom at 11:30 at night.  She was already in bed and I don't think it registered until she got up the next morning :)
Are they helping with baby names? Nope.  They are happy with them, though.
Have they bought anything for the baby yet? My mom and dad bought the baby a little Cardinals outfit and a onesie (that's for a girl)
How often do they call to check on u? I talk to mom everyday and Eric talks to his parents a bit more sporadically. 

About the pregnancy!

When was ur first appointment? Dec. 23
When is ur due date?  August 9, 2010
How far along r u? 14 weeks 4 days
Pre-pregnancy weight? Okay...I'll suck it up...210
Weight now? 205...I lost five pounds!  Can't figure out why though.
Have u had an ultrasound? Yup!  On Dec. 23
Have u heard the heartbeat? It was amazing!
What was the heartbeat? 182
Sex of the baby! Not sure yet :)  
What do u want? I don't really care...I just want health
What does the daddy want? Daddy wants a boy.  He'd be more than happy with a girl though!
What do u think u r having? I think a girl...not sure why...just do!

About the birth!

Do u know what u r taking with u? Not yet...haven't thought that much about it.

Who is going to be with u? Mom and Eric
Are u going to videotape it? NO
Natural or medicated? Probably medicated.
Do u think u will need a c-section? I hope not...but if so okay!
Will u cry with u hold ur baby for the first time? I'm sure I will
Do u know what u will say to the baby when u first hold him/her? No... 
Are u scared about the labor? Not really.  Women have done it for thousands of years :)

Names!!

Do u have a name picked out? Yup!
Girl names: Gabriella Alyse
Boy names: Noah Myles
Is ur baby going to be named after someone? Alyse is sorta after my middle name.  It's a variation of it: Adealia.

Other random questions!!

Where was ur baby conceived? At home.
Have you felt the baby move? I think so...but not consistently
What race will your baby have? From you and daddy? White...
Do you have stretch marks? I had them before I got pregnant.
What was your first symptom? My sense of smell was really heightened.
What religion will the baby know? And from what side? Christianity from both sides...
What music or interests do you want the baby to know? I think we'll be happy exposing the baby to anything we can and letting them decide when they are old enough.
Will ur baby have godparents? Probably not...
What is the baby's room theme? For a boy, something with blue and yellow...nautical maybe.  For a girl:  Garden.
What was the first thing u bought for the baby? A stuffed bear.
Are u ready to be a mommy? I think so :)

14 Weeks/ February 8

So...14 Weeks.  Weight gain-1 pound, as of yesterday.  Shea decided that she hadn't been in enough pictures so she investigated.  I'm actually surprised that she hasn't gotten in one sooner, she's kind of my little shadow.  

Feb. Checkup

I had a monthly checkup yesterday.  No biggie, just coming in and saying "I'm Great!" and then discussing weight gain, blood pressure, etc.

My doctor is happy with my lack of weight gain (so far).  She told me between 15 and 20 pounds is where I should be.  I didn't like that they measured my BMI to be larger than it really is...for some reason their scale weighs me 10 pounds heavier than ANY other scale.  Like, Eric and I have to go get checked out at a health fair every year for insurance and their scale NEVER reads me as heavy as the Dr. office.  Our home scale doesn't either.  So I didn't like that.

My blood pressure was 120/80, which she didn't like.  She preferred it be 120/70 and I don't think it will ever happen.  My blood pressure has ran at 120/80 since I was a little kid...but I'm taking it twice a day and keeping a journal to keep her happy.

I got to hear the baby's heartbeat today, just barely.  It was MUCH clearer with the internal ultrasound, but I could still make it out.  The doctor said the baby was running away from her which is part of the reason that I had a hard time hearing it.

I go back on March 4th for another check up and we get the 20 week ultrasound to find out gender on March 18th!  I'm so excited ;)  I think that it's a girl (and no, I don't WANT a girl necessarily I just think it is...) but Eric really wants a boy.  I am truly on the fence.  Several family members want a girl, but I really don't care... I just want health.

So...every one sees the baby bump.

It's not time for my 4 month picture until Monday, but I took this one on Monday night and I think it's obvious...I've popped.  On BabyCenter.com everyone keeps telling people who say they are showing that it's just bloating.  I don't think that's bloating and if it is I'm really worried because that's a LOT of BLOATING!

I'm to the point where getting on there just makes me mad anyway.  I don't think the people realize it but they are SO negative!  If you dare disagree with them, even respectfully, it feels like you get attacked.  It's addictive, but I think I'm going to quit looking at the message boards.

There hasn't really been too much new lately in prego world, except that my maternity jeans now fit.  But that's because I'm "bloated", right?  Yeah.  It gets annoying when people tell you that.  Luckily, the people in my everyday life are much more positive and supportive and don't say stupid things like that to me.  It's not like I started wearing maternity at 10 weeks and said I looked like I was 5 months!  A lot of people on there did.

On a good note, the second trimester has started and I feel SO different :)  I'm not nearly as tired and  I feel so much better!  I was beginning to wonder if I would ever feel rested again.  Now, I've got three (roughly) months until the third trimester and then I will quite possibly never sleep again.  I've accepted it.

Dear Lovebug,

I love you.

Momma

Weekend ;)

This weekend was full of wonderful things.  Eric and I had a great time on Saturday shopping for clothes for me (maternity stuff = yuck) and then we registered for baby stuff at Target.  We went into Babies R Us but didn't register for anything.  

Obviously our registry isn't really done or anything, but we got some cute stuff.

I had a great time with Eric...he is usually not the best shopper but Saturday he was patient and just a wonderful person to be around.  I was thankful for that day because it reminds me of all the qualities that I love about Eric.

On Sunday I didn't feel very well, but we went grocery shopping and played with Shea.  I laid down for a little nap on Sunday afternoon and, while I didn't feel much better when I woke up, the nap was still nice.

Today when I woke up I didn't feel much better.  My stomach is upset and my head hurts and I'm achy all over.  I really just want to call it a day at work, but I've got a lot to do.  I shouldn't even be writing this blog but I wanted to document the fun time that Eric and I had this weekend.

Lovebug,

Daddy and I had a great time this weekend looking for special things for you.  Take care, baby ;)

Love, Momma